Determine the purpose of your message
Business content
Relational content
Is your message is appropriate to e-mail, or better addressed by phone or in person?
Determine your audience
A larger audience means more interpretations of your message. Determine, where possible, areas of
ambiguity and/or confusion. Fill in the subject line concisely and specifically.
Remember: since you as sender do not determine the meaning of your message, the receiver does,
unintended consequences are always possible.
Encouraged Practices:
Using email to expedite decision-making and reduce meeting time.
Using reply-all and keeping the same thread (subject) going; this saves time in finding topics.
Stating clearly when your mail is personal, and not to be shared.
Use of the "blind copy" function when sending the same message to people within and outside the church.
This keeps addresses confidential.
Communicating only with people directly involved while in the early stages of formulating new projects and
policies.
Judicious sending of news of interest to the whole congregation; only utilizing the full list when clearly
necessary.
Discouraged Practices:
Sending church members' e-mail addresses to others without permission.
Forwarding without consent of original sender; done often with the best of intentions, this can backfire.
Contributing to urban myths or chain letters, commonly known as "spam."
Using profanity, obscenity, discriminatory language, vulgarities or other inappropriate language or
graphics; venting in general.
Revealing any personal, confidential or private information about other individuals.
Use of a pseudonym.
Use of humor without making it clear that you are kidding! :-)
